House Republicans are devising a plan to simplify spending decisions by considering government funding bills on a department-by-department basis in the new Congress, according to Republican insiders.

The move would facilitate cutbacks in government programs and, GOP aides say, enhance oversight and accountability for individual agencies, fulfilling promises made by Republicans on the campaign trail and in their Pledge to America. But it would also threaten to complicate an already tattered appropriations process on the House floor and in negotiations with the Senate, which is why the mechanics of the transition are still under discussion.

Text Size

-

+

reset

VIDEO: GOP leaders on summit

POLITICO 44

In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute earlier this year, Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-Ohio) outlined the idea that he, Republican transition chief Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and rank-and-file Republicans are now working to implement.

"Let's do away with the concept of 'comprehensive' spending bills. Let's break them up, to encourage scrutiny, and make spending cuts easier. Rather than pairing agencies and departments together, let them come to the House floor individually, to be judged on their own merit," he said at AEI more than a month before the midterm election. "Members shouldn't have to vote for big spending increases at the Labor Department in order to fund Health and Human Services. Members shouldn't have to vote for big increases at the Commerce Department just because they support NASA. Each department and agency should justify itself each year to the full House and Senate, and be judged on its own."

The push to reconstitute the congressional spending process comes just as Republican leaders are deciding who will win the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee in the next Congress. The candidates' reactions to the proposal could influence whether Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) or Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) gets the gavel.

"I would be in favor of it in cases where it makes it easier to do oversight and harder to increase spending," Kingston told POLITICO on Tuesday night, adding that determination should be made "on a case-by-case basis."

Boehner is likely to win significant support from his ranks, as omnibus legislating was a frequent target of derision from tea party activists who helped propel Republicans into power. The idea dovetails well with their mantra of promoting "single-issue bills" so that voters have a clearer idea of what their representatives are voting for and against.

GOP leaders have also indicated that spending bills will come to the floor under more open rules, allowing members to offer amendments. The once-open appropriations process has been constrained in recent years by majority-party leaders' desire to avoid contentious fights on the floor and as a reaction to minority efforts to hamstring legislation by offering countless amendments.

Republicans say Boehner's will to implement his vision should not be underestimated.

But there are serious technical and procedural challenges to any approach that would subdivide the current dozen appropriations bills.

"We have to figure out how to accomplish that goal while still allowing the Appropriations Committee to function," said one senior Republican aide. "That's what the members of the transition team and conference are working through."

Good luck with that, John. You guys can't even get an omnibus appropriations bill passed and now you want to break it up into 12 or 24 or 50 smaller bills on which you hope to reach agreement? Boehner and his boys will cut out social services that reach Americans who aren't millionaires and senate Democrats will rightly block them. How is this idea going to work? Or is it meant to work? Maybe it's nothing but more Republican political grandstanding and designed gridlock meant to stroke and stoke their base of Democrat demonizers. I believe Mitch McConnell unfortunately represents his party members; he and his party are not about creating jobs or eliminating the deficit or paying down the national debt or making us competitive worldwide in the lucrative green energy market or anything else good for our country. He and his party are all about gaining power at any cost. Their dangerous and groundless opposition to our START Treaty is only one case in point; they can't even vote for our national security anymore.

You must not read the articles before you post. The plan is to address each departments' budget individually like a business does. What is beneficial about this, is even though they didn't succeed in shutting down the earmark processes, they can totally eliminate the need for earmarks by looking at all earmark funding within the various department budgets and determining is they want to continue funding those items. Not all earmarks are 'pork' so legitimate programs can be folded into the initial budget as they are proven to be valid funding items.

The problem with the budget is that it never really gets a specific analysis publicly by the Congress. It is time to do that and hold the various deparments accountable. Sorry SEUI but your days of waste and largess are over.

You must not read the articles before you post. The plan is to address each departments' budget individually like a business does. What is beneficial about this, is even though they didn't succeed in shutting down the earmark processes, they can totally eliminate the need for earmarks by looking at all earmark funding within the various department budgets and determining is they want to continue funding those items. Not all earmarks are 'pork' so legitimate programs can be folded into the initial budget as they are proven to be valid funding items.

The problem with the budget is that it never really gets a specific analysis publicly by the Congress. It is time to do that and hold the various deparments accountable. Sorry SEUI but your days of waste and largess are over.

I thought the promise was Hope and Change; it has turned into Hoax and Chains

Boehner should be careful what he asks for. He might get it. All that lobbying money placed on record as part of floor debates and on the nightly news? Fine with me.

Little Johnny and his comrades might not like it though. Scrutiny isn't something he, his PACs or his fellow Republicans can stand up to. It'll take him down along with about 100 other Republicans. And I hope it takes the 75 or so Democrats, who like there little favors, down too.

Harry Truman had it about right "If you come out of political office richer than you went in, you're a crook."

Once again, Boehner should be careful what he asks for. He might get it.

One would think John Boehner would have some clue as to where cuts are to be made. He has been in office since 1991. You would think ending the Afghan and Iraq wars and bringing all the troops out would be the first money saver. Cuts in the DOD budget need to be made. We should cut all military and economic aid to Israel, lets save that money. Down the gov and audit all the agencies for fraud, waste and abuse.

John needs to shut off the money printing press, shut down agencies that are not working, cut spending, down the bulging Federal employment., cut duplicate services. This would be a start - we have to do something to slow the ridiculous spending and programs we do not want or need.

"Let's do away with the concept of 'comprehensive' spending bills. Let's break them up, to encourage scrutiny, and make spending cuts easier. Rather than pairing agencies and departments together, let them come to the House floor individually, to be judged on their own merit," he said at AEI more than a month before the midterm election.

In this case cutting spending/waste/excess via taking government agencies on a case by case basis instead of issuing a blanket check up front. Pay for performance and prove it way of funding.

That alone should force some cutbacks immediately.

The orange man already is improving the path while the botox'd old lady spent the last 3 years issuing blank checks for her historical legacy and she still clings to it like a spider clings to it's web.

This is a great idea..... real leadership...... cuts must be made, let every agency come to the hill and defend its budget requests...... this will allow the house to make meaningful cuts by getting rid of wasteful programs....

Apparently this 92-year-old W.W.II Disabled Vet (Member of Kearby's Thunderbolts; www.PacificWrecks.com) and his 89-year-old wife's..(who share two Purple Hearts and one burial flag)...warm and still-breathing bodies are for sale here in Massachusetts and nationwide.

Why wasn't their retirement income of $70K/yr (minus the Medicare D and BX premiums, $5,500, still required to be paid by them) enough for the nonprofit from the day of their admissions on 01/11/07?..

..because of the feeding frenzy created by the GOP's (Cheney/Gregg) DRA 2005 to tax the otherwise untaxable inheritable savings at $600/day required of the nonprofit nursing home, the greed and unlawful arrogance of nonprofit CFO's/attorney's with their nonprofit software manufactured by www.nonprofitshellgamebalancesheet.com, backed up by judges ruling that no one can question the nonprofit's morphing balance sheets even with a POA, VA Fiduciary and Personal Care Contracts,...causing my parents to pay double ($450K) in unreimbursed medical expenses since Jan. 11, 2007

I'm a progressive but think that this is one of the better ideas I've heard come from Washington in a long time. Done properly money will be saved.

The one thing I would urge Congressman Boehner to add to this proposal is strict time requirements for passing these bills from the house including one that congress will not adjourn for vacations or long weekends till these bills are passed.